orient

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The countries of Asia, especially of eastern Asia.
2. n. The luster characteristic of a pearl of high quality.
3. n. A pearl having exceptional luster.
4. n. Archaic The place on the horizon where the sun rises; the east.
5. adj. Having exceptional luster: orient gemstones.
6. adj. Archaic Eastern; oriental.
7. adj. Archaic Rising in the sky; ascending.
8. v. To locate or place in a particular relation to the points of the compass: orient the swimming pool north and south.
9. v. To locate or position so as to face the east.
10. v. To build (a church) with the nave laid out in an east-west direction and the main altar usually at the eastern end.
11. v. To align or position with respect to a point or system of reference: oriented the telescope toward the moon; oriented her interests toward health care.
12. v. To determine the bearings of.
13. v. To make familiar with or adjusted to facts, principles, or a situation.
14. v. To focus (the content of a story or film, for example) toward the concerns and interests of a specific group.
15. v. To turn toward the east.
16. v. To become adjusted or aligned.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Rising, as the sun; ascending; arising.
2. Eastern. Also oriental.
3. Resembling the dawn in brilliancy, brightness, or purity of coloring; bright; shining; pellucid; especially, as applied to pearls, of a delicate speckless texture, and clear, almost translucent, white color with subdued iridescence: opposed to occidental.
4. n. The east; the part of the horizon where the sun first appears in the morning: opposed to Occident.
5. n. [cap. or lowercase] With the definite article, the East; Eastern countries; specifically [capitalized], the region to the east and southeast of the leading states of Europe: a vague term, including Turkey, Persia, Egypt, India, etc.
6. n. The peculiar luster of a pearl; a delicate speckless texture, with pellucid color and subdued iridescence, as in pearls of the first water.
7. n. A pearl possessing such qualities; a pearl of the first water.
8. To define the position of in respect to the east; ascertain the position of relative to the points of the compass; hence, to find the bearings of, in general; figuratively, to adjust or correct by referring to first principles or recognized facts or truths; take one's proper bearings mentally.
9. To place or arrange so as to face the east — that is, with its length from west to east; specifically, of a church, to place so that the chief altar is at the east end — that is, to place with the long axis east and west, the apse being toward the east, and the chief entrance at the west end; or, of a corpse, to place with the feet toward the east.
10. Hence To place or arrange, as a building, in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass: as, the episcopal cathedral of New York will be oriented north and south.
11. In biology, to place (an organism) in a favorable position for study or description, or to treat it in reference to this position.
12. To place (a map or chart) in such a horizontal position that a line joining any two given points on the map shall be parallel to the line joining the corresponding points on the earth's surface; literally, to make the east direction on the map point toward the east.
13. An abbreviation of orientalist.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To familiarize with a situation or circumstance.
2. v. transitive To set the focus of so as to relate or appeal to a certain group.
3. v. transitive To point at or direct towards.
4. v. transitive To determine which direction one is facing.
5. v. transitive To place or build so as to face eastward.
6. v. intransitive To change direction so as to face east.
7. v. by extension To change direction to face a certain way.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Rising, as the sun.
2. adj. Eastern; oriental.
3. adj. Bright; lustrous; superior; pure; perfect; pellucid; -- used of gems and also figuratively, because the most perfect jewels are found in the East.
4. n. The part of the horizon where the sun first appears in the morning; the east.
5. n. The countries of Asia or the East.
6. n. rare A pearl of great luster.
7. v. To define the position of, in relation to the orient or east; hence, to ascertain the bearings of.
8. v. To acquaint with new surroundings or a new situation.
9. v. Fig.: To correct or set right by recurring to first principles; to arrange in order; to orientate.
10. v. Same as Orientate, 2.
11. v. (Surv.) To place (a map or chart) so that its east side, north side, etc., lie toward the corresponding parts of the horizon to rotate (a map attached to a plane table) until the line of direction between any two of its points is parallel to the corresponding direction in nature.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. be oriented
2. v. adjust to a specific need or market
3. n. the countries of Asia
4. v. familiarize (someone) with new surroundings or circumstances
5. n. the hemisphere that includes Eurasia and Africa and Australia
6. v. determine one's position with reference to another point
7. v. cause to point